5) Bad Upsells

But it only works when you do it right; that is, in circumstances where the customer is already feeling like they get great value from doing business with you, and that they can get even more value by buying your upsell.

After providing GEICO with my location and arranging to wait for the tow truck, the GEICO dispatcher told me, “From looking at your account, it looks like you’re now eligible for a big discount on our comprehensive coverage. Since you’re going to be waiting for the tow truck anyways, would you like to hear more?”

15 minutes later, I had agreed to add $1 million in additional coverage for my car and home, at a cost of right around $100 per year.

I’ve been a GEICO customer for 16 years already, so it’s not much of a stretch to speculate that I might be a customer for another 20 years. That means that GEICO turned a costly customer service call into an incremental $2,000 in lifetime revenue.

Now, what if Chris had called and was angry about something that GEICO did? Would an upsell have been a good idea.

Definitely not.

NEVER upsell an angry customer.

And never try to make an upsell that doesn’t actually add value to the customer’s life.

Jeffrey Gitomer explains the customer’s perspective in an upsell situation like this:

Tell me how I win. When I win, you win.

If the customer doesn’t clearly win with your upsell, then don’t even try.

6) No Apology

When a customer is angry at you, you can give them a refund.

You can throw free products at them.

You can comp their account for a year.

But don’t forget the incredible value of a simple apology.

Even if you didn’t do anything wrong, you can still be sorry about the way the customer feels… I always hate it when customers aren’t happy, so I’m genuinely sorry to see them upset, whether it was my fault or not.

Let them know that.

In one study at the Carey School of Business at Arizona State University, 37% of customers were satisfied with service recovery when they were offered something of monetary value (e.g., a refund or credit). But when the business added an apology on top of the compensation, satisfaction doubled to 74%.

Treat Your Customers As You’dWant To Be Treated

Nobody likes being made to wait, dealing with rude people or being made to feel like they’re not important.

While most of us do our best to ensure that our customers know how much we appreciate them, it can be easy to slip up.

Use the examples above as a reminder to stay vigilant about the things you say – and how you say them – to keep your customers happy.